Congress: Adopt Resolution to Support Haitian Women's Rights
In Haiti, the Ministry of Women's Affairs will soon introduce comprehensive legislation to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls. These reforms are desperately needed, as domestic violence against adults is currently not a crime in Haiti, nor is marital rape.
Beyond remedying these gaps in Haiti's current laws, the new legislation would also establish shelters, public health agencies, and other institutions to help victims of gender-based violence recover and rebuild their lives. Further, it would require the government to invest in public information campaigns so victims of gender-based violence would know where to seek help.
The United States House of Representatives has recently introduced a resolution that would put pressure on Haitian legislators to pass the proposed law reforms and would make issues of violence against women and girls a priority in Haiti's reconstruction. Act now to show solidarity with Haiti as it takes on the difficult work of ending gender-based violence by calling on members of the U.S. Congress to vote in favor of the resolution.
We the undersigned call on you to vote in favor of the resolution recently introduced in the House that calls for support of Haiti's comprehensive legislation to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls. These reforms are desperately needed, as domestic violence against adults is currently not a crime in Haiti, nor is marital rape. In addition to remedying these gaps in Haiti's current laws, the new legislation would also establish shelters, public health agencies, and other institutions to help victims of gender-based violence recover and rebuild their lives. We urge you to adopt the resolution, which would put pressure on Haitian legislators to pass the proposed law reforms and make issues of violence against women and girls a priority in Haiti's reconstruction. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
